THE Tyne and Wear Metro control room is to undergo a £12m programme of modernisation – the biggest upgrade in its 38-year history.

Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, is installing a new computerised signalling control system in the Metro control room in South Gosforth in Newcastle.

The company says, the new technology will transform the way that Metro trains are controlled, "making operations more efficient and effective".

Nexus managing director Tobyn Hughes, said: “This £12m project is the biggest overhaul of technology in the Metro control room for almost 40 years.

“The investment brings our signalling control systems into the digital age and it will be of huge benefit to Metro operations.”

The project is being funded as part of the £350m Metro: all change modernisation programme.

Work to install RTMS will take place over a single weekend, with scores of staff on duty to oversee the changes - and it will mean some planned disruption to Metro services.

On Saturday August 4 Metro services will be halted between Benton and St James from 8pm and a replacement bus service will run.

No trains will run after about 10.30pm depending on the station.

Replacement bus services will not be provided as it is not possible to source sufficient buses and drivers at this time of night to provide a viable replacement service across the network.

On Sunday August 5, Metro services will not be operating system-wide until 10am with replacement buses in place for the duration of the morning.

Passenger information display screens (PIDs) across all 60 Metro stations will be affected by the work, and will need manual intervention to bring them back into use. This will be done as quickly as possible after the new system is installed.

For information and updates about Metro travel on the weekend of August 4/5 go to @My_Metro or call Nexus on 0191 20 20 747.